Another High Court judge, Justice Ivy Heward Mills, has been removed from office with immediate effect after being found culpable in the judicial corruption scandal uncovered by ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

A statement signed and issued by Justice Juliana Amonoo-Neizer, First Deputy Judicial Secretary, said President John Dramani Mahama, in a letter dated June 17, accepted the recommendation for her removal from office by the committee set up by the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, to investigate the petition from Anas for same on grounds of stated misbehaviour.

The investigative committee was established by the Chief Justice in accordance with Article 146 (4) of the 1992 Constitution after she had determined that “a prima facie case had been established against Justice Ivy Heward Mills in the petition submitted to the President on August 31, 2015.”

According to the statement, the committee after its investigations into the petition by Anas found that Justice Heward Mills, “contrary to Rules 3(7) and 4(A) of the Code of Conduct for Judges and Magistrates, did not only engage in ex-parte communication on the suit, Nana Kofi Annan & Or. Vrs John Kwadwo Bobie which was pending before her, but also advised the defendant in the suit on the best approach to defend the case against the plaintiff.”

The statement added that while denying that she did not accept any amount of money from the Petitioner’s teammate in her chambers, this may be accepted, “but her explanation that, what the petitioners’ teammate gave her in her car at the Aggrey Memorial School Junction was an invitation card to a social event, was unacceptable.”

The statement further contended that rather it was money she accepted to influence her ruling in accordance with the agreement reached as a result of the discussion held with the petitioners’ teammate.

Following her removal from office, Justice Heward Mills, the statement stressed, is to hand over her bungalow and all official properties in her possession including her official government vehicle, dockets and record books to the Judicial Secretary forthwith.

The statement also indicated that “the Director of Human Resources has also been requested to ensure that her name is deleted from the payroll of the Judicial Service with effect from June 20, 2016.